On the 6th April I sowed 2 each of......
Courgette - Shooting Star/Zucchini
Cucumber - Bush Champion/Mini Munch
Marrow - Long Green Bush
Squash - Butternut Chieftain/Harlequin/Table King/Uchiki/Tromboncino
So far 7 of the 20 have germinated. A bit of a change/experiment this year, to save on compost I use a 50/50 manure/compost mix to sow them in!
Just the one this year Tromboncino.
Can’t say how many plants. Not germinated yet. It’ll be 1 or 2 . Definitely no more.
It would usually only be the one plant. But I want to see if my isolated self saved seeds come true. So I’m growing some from the packet and some saved.
I’ll find homes for any extra that germinate.
I'm growing 3 cucs and 7 courgettes they've all got their true leaves, GH in the day then kitchen overnight.
3..Beth alpha cucs
Courgettes
2..De Nice a Fruit Rond
1..Frieze
4..Black Beauty
I've sown one each of:
Courgettes - Verde di Milano, Bianca Trieste, Wanda, Diamante, Green Machine
Squash/pumpkin - Zephyr, Ichi Kuri, Tromba (x 4)
Cucs - Beth Alpha, Slangen, Konsa
With no doubt more to follow
Cucumber - Party Time F1 x 2
Courgette - Midnight F1 x 2
Winter Squash - Honey Bear F1 x 4 (interplanted with sweetcorn), Harlequin F1 x 2/Sunshine F1 x 2 (depending on space, might try growing them in a big compost bin and trail them on top of the shed)
Courgettes - 4 now planted in the garden (3 are Parthenon).
Cucumber - 3 Beth Alpha planted in GH1 (not looking very happy though).
These are the plants I have growing -
Squash –
Spaghetti X3
Crown prince X2
Jumbo Pink Banana X3
Butternut X6
Golden Hubbard X4
Strawberry Crown X1
Courgettes –
Tromboncino X5
Kokopelli Mixed Courgette Pack random X3
Cucumbers & Gherkins
Kokopelli Mixed Cucumber Pack random X10
Gherkin Amélioré de Bourbonne X10
Melons
Watermelon Klondike Blue Ribbon X4
Watermelon Sweet Dream X2
Plus a cantaloupe somewhere which I’ve currently lost!!
Not all the squash or trombos will be planted out unless I lose any - they'll be passed on to friends and neighbours.
Cucumber
2 x Tasty King F1
2 x Crystal Apple
Courgette
1 x Sunstripe F1
1 x Atena Polka F1
1 x Cocozelle di Napoli
1 x Striato d'Italia
Winter squash
2 x acorn squash Table King
2 x acorn squash Harlequin F1
2 x acorn squash Festival F1
2 x butternut squash Waltham
Pumpkins
1 x Jack Be Little
1 x Baby Boo
2 x Marina di Chioggia
And.... 1 x Tromboncino!
The cucumbers and courgettes are growing on and I've sown the acorn squash. Trying to pace myself.
I've finally planted them all out now. Some could do with a bit more room but I've planted those next to my autumn planted onions and early potatoes so they should get some room later on.
4 cucumbers, 2 beth alpha and 2 female F1 seeds I nicked from packet off my (London) daughter.
8 cougettes mix of green bush and striato
several butternut harrier, hercules, hunter (all F1) and 4 waltham.
2 Uchiki Kuri,
2 grey squash (a winter squash not sure of name. got the seeds off my Manchester daughter)
3 blue banana
5 pumpkins Marina di Chioggia (4) and Moscade de Provence (1)
3 tromba
8 melons arava (4) Kasakh Melon (3) and 1 pepito
It's one thing planting them out, quite another to look after them so I get a good crop. But with the BBC reporting the governor of the BoE: "Bank governor in 'apocalyptic' warning over rising food prices" it may give me an added incentive.
A lot of these were from old packets but I find they generally have a long shelf life and good germination. However I used the last seeds from some packets this year.